Run To You
by GleekForHemo
Summary: When Brittany's marriage takes a turn for the worse, she suddenly has to fear for her life. That is until she meets a certain FBI-agent. Long one-shot. (Re-upload)


**Title: **Run To You  
**Summary:** When Brittany's marriage takes a turn for the worse, she suddenly has to fear for her life. Can a certain FBI-agent make things better for her?  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Glee.  
**Rating: **T for violence.

_So a while ago, I was happily uploading parts of this story when I suddenly realized that I was logged onto the wrong account. I went into panic mode, something that happens every now and then, and deleted it. My apologies to those of you who were reading it. I've finished the entire thing and here it is completed. Yeah! Let me know what you think._

* * *

**Run To You**

Brittany climbed out of her car and walked up the steps to a small but rich looking building. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans and knocked on the door. A bulky guy with a thick beard appeared seconds later. "Who are you?" He grumbled.

"My name is Brittany. I'm here to see Puck." Brittany answered him. She tried to keep the nerves out of her voice. Nobody took you seriously in this part of Lima unless you came across as confident and controlled.

The man nodded and let her into the building. "Wait here." He ordered.

Brittany watched as he disappeared from view. She shook her head thinking about the weirdness of this situation. She had never imagined herself asking a convicted criminal for help.

"Brittany?" Called a familiar voice.

Brittany looked up as a tall, muscular guy walked up to her. He was wearing an expensive suit and lots of golden jewelry. Brittany couldn't help but smile when Puck pulled her into a hug. She winced a little at the pain that shot through her body but tried to ignore it.

Puck guided her into a private room and sat down at the table that stood in the center. He knew that something had to be seriously wrong, Brittany never dropped by unexpectedly. "What brings you here?" He asked, getting straight to the point.

Brittany sighed and sat down in the chair right across from him. "I need your help." She said softly.

Puck raised his eyebrows in surprise. Their friendship was pretty solid but Brittany didn't participate in his business and had never once asked him to do anything illegal for her. "What kind of help?"

Brittany nervously scanned the room, almost as if she was afraid of being watched. Puck frowned in concern. "Brittany, what's going on?"

Brittany looked down at her hands. "I need you to help me disappear. I need money, a new car and a place to stay." She replied. She fidgeted in her seat, waiting for the inevitable question that she knew was coming.

It wasn't long before it did. "Why?"

"Sam.. he..." She struggled to get the words out and ended up giving him a brief explanation on what had happened. Puck was fuming by the time she was done talking.

"That son of a bitch. I'm not going to let him get away with it." He growled as he stood up. Brittany cringed and thought of the similar conversation she had with her best friend not too long ago.

**Flashback**

_"Brittany." Marley said softly as she walked into the hospital's emergency room where Brittany was sitting on a bed. Brittany had called her for a ride home earlier with the request not to tell anyone. "What happened?"_

_"I lost my balance and fell down the stairs." Brittany said. She knew that there was no way that Marley would buy that explanation so she quickly added, "I'm fine. I just have some cuts and bruises."_

_Marley eyed her skeptically. "Britt, I know you. You never lose your balance. Who did this?"_

_Brittany bit her lip in a desperate attempt to keep her tears at bay. "Sam." She finally whispered._

_"What?" Marley exclaimed in surprise. "Sam did this?" Anger washed through her and she began to pace up and down the room. "We have to go to the police!"_

_"No!" Brittany practically yelled, making Marley stop dead in her tracks. "It's my own fault. I made him angry."_

_"Are you hearing yourself?" Marley asked in desperation. "Sam put you in the hospital and you're blaming yourself?"_

_"He's just been really stressed out lately. He still has nightmares about what happened in Iraq. He's been jumpy ever since and I just need to be more careful around him." Brittany tried to defend her husband. She knew that Sam loved her. He always came back to her, even after being captured and tortured in Iraq. She just had to spend more time at home so she could really be there for him. Therefore, at Sam's request, she had already given up her job at the dance studio._

_"Has he even considered counseling?" Marley asked in disgust. It was impossible for her to bring up any sympathy for Sam._

_Brittany shook her head. "He says that he only needs me. I can help him if I try harder."_

_"How long has this been going on?" Marley asked. "How long has that bastard been hitting you?"_

_"Please just let it go Marley." Brittany whispered in defeat. "He needs time to adjust to being back home. He will get better. I know he will."_

_"He's been back for almost a year now!" Marley argued. "How much longer does he need?"_

_"He loves me." Brittany said, ignoring Marley's question. "He survived Iraq because he wanted to return to me. That's what he told me."_

_Marley grabbed a mirror out of her bag and held it up in front of Brittany's face. "Look at yourself! Sam did this. He beat you up. That's not love, Brittany!"_

_Brittany stared into the mirror. She hardly recognized herself. She looked pale and her face was covered in bruises. She felt her resolve crumble and tears started to fall from her eyes._

_Marley gently took Brittany in her arms and just held her as she cried. "What am I going to do?" Brittany choked out in between sobs._

_"We're going to the police." Marley replied._

_Brittany pulled away with wide eyes. "No, we can't do that. Sam is claustrophobic, he'll go crazy in prison!"_

_"He has to pay for what he did." Marley said. Brittany frantically shook her head and Marley could tell that she was getting herself worked up again. She sighed, "Okay but you can't stay with him. He needs to get professional help."_

_Brittany nodded sadly. "I know. I'll leave him, at least until he gets better."_

_Marley smiled and was just about to respond when Sam himself walked into the room. "Come on Brittany, let's go. The doctor says that you'll be fine."_

_"You!" Marley growled. She jumped up and jabbed a finger into Sam's chest. "She's not going anywhere with you. You're never going to lay a hand on her again!"_

_Sam's eyes darkened. "Brittany is my wife, she belongs to me. No one will ever take her away from me."_

_Marley didn't back down. "She doesn't belong to you. She's not your property. You're just one phone call away from going to prison so don't do anything stupid." She stared into Sam's eyes a little while longer before taking Brittany's hand and pulling her out of the room._

_"You can't leave me!" Sam yelled to Brittany's retreating form. "You'll regret this!"_

**End of flashback**

"Please Puck, leaving town is my only option." Brittany pleaded. "Sam has recently started working for the Abrams and they have connections. I can't take the risk."

Puck's eyes softened and he slid back into his chair. He reached out and placed a hand on Brittany's arm. "Okay, I'll help you." He squeezed her arm before retracting his hand. He pulled out his phone and briefly spoke to someone before hanging up. "I'll have everything you need within the next hour."

Brittany sighed in relief. "Thank you so much Puck."

An hour later she was back on the road in a new car, with a place to go and enough money.

* * *

**Four months later.**

Brittany sat in her new apartment looking in the mirror at the bruises on her face. They were slowly fading and now concealable with make-up.

Never had she expected that her life would turn out this way. She didn't understand how Sam could do this to her. She had thought he loved her but like Marley had already said, people that love you don't hit you.

Sam had found her once since she left town but she had managed to get away. Puck had helped her get a new identity and that would throw Sam off her scent for a little while.

She got up and started to get ready for work. It had been a month since she moved into her new apartment and she had managed to find herself a job at a bar.

Brittany wasn't a stranger to working in bars. Back in college she worked in them all the time. It was interesting to meet the people that came there and learn their stories. Some people buried their pain in the bottle but she refused to do that.

Sam used to be so kind and caring but that was before he came back from Iraq. Now he was constantly angry and taking it out on her. She still remembered the first time he had hit her. She had woken him up because the alarm clock hadn't gone off and he had just lashed out at her. Brittany had forgiven him because after all, he had been tortured in that camp for months and she had startled him. Sam had told her that it was her own fault but that he was sorry. He was always sorry.

Brittany finished getting ready and went to work. Work always took her mind off things, especially on a busy Saturday night like tonight. She really missed dancing and wanted to look into getting a different job but then Sam would find her.

She wouldn't be too worried if it was just Sam but he had the Abrams out there looking for her as well.

"Hi, Bethany." Jill, a coworker said, pulling Brittany from her thoughts.

"Hey." Brittany replied, automatically pulling her sleeves down to cover the bruises. She didn't want anyone to see them. It was embarrassing to admit that she had failed in pleasing the only man she had ever loved.

"Are you okay?" Jill asked, noticing the way that Brittany was rubbing her arms. Jill had always wondered about Bethany. The blonde was friendly but never let anyone get too close. She never went out or had any fun.

"Yeah." Brittany said with a shrug, wincing when the movement hurt her shoulder. She sighed in relief when Jill let it go and went straight to work.

* * *

Santana Lopez was having a bad day. She had worked on a grueling case and had gotten yelled at by her boss. All she wanted right now was to relax with a beer. She sat down and waited for the blonde behind the bar to notice her.

After a few minutes it became clear to Santana that she wasn't going to get her attention anytime soon. "Can I have a beer?" She asked.

"Sure, what kind?" The blonde asked without looking up. Santana was mesmerized by her voice. It was so soft, almost angelic. Santana instantly recognized an Ohio accent.

Santana had heard the Ohio accent in Lima when she was there to investigate the Abrams for drugs dealing. She was now back in Atlantic City working on a different case.

"Heineken would be great." She replied. A few seconds later, the drink was placed in front of her and they finally made eye contact.

Santana felt her heart rate speed up as she stared into piercing blue eyes. Something electric passed between them, the blonde looked as shocked as Santana felt, before she put her mask back in place.

"Anything else?" She asked.

"How about your name?" Santana flirted.

"How about you order something else or stop wasting my time." Brittany shot back.

Santana frowned at her tone. It seemed that she wasn't really a friendly one. There was something about her though. Something Santana couldn't quite explain.

"Fine. Will you tell me your name if I order a plate of fries?" Santana asked, slightly less flirty. She wanted to get to know the woman not scare her away.

Brittany sighed and turned slightly, revealing her nametag.

"Bethany." Santana read, sticking out her hand. "I'm Santana Lopez."

Brittany flinched at the sudden movement and backed up a little. She shook it off though and reluctantly took Santana's hand. "Nice to meet you. Now do you want those fries, or not?"

Santana frowned when Brittany flinched like she had expected to be hit. Years of experience told Santana that she was obviously afraid of something or rather, someone. The thought of anyone hurting this beautiful woman made Santana's stomach churn.

She almost jolted when their hands touched. The force of her reaction to Brittany's skin against her palm was surprising and she quickly pulled her hand away.

Santana waited for her order before settling down at a table in the corner. Her eyes kept finding Brittany though and when she finally left the bar, she planned on coming back tomorrow.

She went home to her empty apartment thinking of Bethany. For some reason she seemed familiar to her. Santana knew that they had never met before but still.

There was no denying that Bethany was stunning but her eyes were what haunted Santana the most. She had looked at her like she could see into her very soul and that both bothered and intrigued her.

She always tried so hard to stay uninvolved. An occasional one night stand was all she allowed herself but she knew that Bethany was different somehow. Being in the FBI, Santana had seen her fair share of abuse victims. Judged by the way Bethany had reacted when Santana went to shake her hand, she'd been hurt by someone. Santana could tell that Bethany was strong though and Santana was definitely interested in her.

Santana shook her head as if to clear it. She shouldn't be thinking of Bethany like that. She had just met the blonde and the feelings clearly weren't mutual. As much as she told herself not to, Santana knew she would go back to the bar tomorrow.

* * *

Brittany followed Santana with her eyes as she left the bar. She was confused about her feelings for her. When she had touched her hand she had felt the sensations all the way up her elbow. It was obvious that the woman was gorgeous and Brittany didn't want to be attracted to her but she was.

She couldn't afford to be attracted to anyone after what had happened with Sam. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to trust anyone enough to start a relationship with again.

It was hard to accept how things had gone between her and Sam. He had always been the one who was supposed to protect her. She had loved him for so long but he just wasn't the same person as before.

"She was quite the looker." Jill broke her out of her thoughts for the second time that night. "She was in to you. Did you get her name?"

Brittany had never made her being bisexual a secret, even though she hadn't been with a woman in years.

"Her name is Santana." Brittany replied, turning around to face Jill. "She was just being nice."

Jill grinned. "Oh honey, believe me, she was definitely interested. She was practically drooling over you and you just ignored her. Why would you do that?"

Brittany shrugged. "Okay maybe she was interested but I'm not. I've had enough with relationships."

Jill figured that Bethany had a bad experience with relationships at one point but someone who looked like that wouldn't stay single for long. Bethany was a nice person with the looks to match and she attracted a lot of both male and female attention.

They continued to chat a little while longer until it was time for Brittany to leave. She had only been working at the bar for two weeks but it felt like an eternity. The girls she worked with were nice but they could be very nosey and Brittany preferred her privacy.

Much to her own annoyance, Santana was still on her mind when Brittany walked into her apartment. If she could ever trust someone again it wouldn't be some random woman she met at work.

She sighed and picked up her phone to call Marley. If it weren't for her best friend, Brittany would still be with Sam, letting him push her around. Marley had made her see that what Sam was doing was abuse.

Brittany dialed Marley's number and waited for her to pick up. She was using an untraceable prepaid phone in case Sam or the Abrams were tracking her phone calls.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mar." Brittany replied, happy to hear her best friend's voice. She hadn't spoken to Marley since she left Lima four months ago.

"Brittany!" Marley squealed with joy. "I missed you so much."

Brittany smiled. "I missed you too. How are you? How's Ryder?"

"We broke up but I think it's for the best."

"What? Why?" Brittany asked in surprise. She had thought that Marley was really happy with Ryder.

"He couldn't accept the fact that I hate Sam. They're good friends and he doesn't believe that Sam is abusive and working with the Abrams." Marley explained.

Brittany sighed sadly. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I actually met someone new. His name is Josh. He's a great guy."

Brittany smiled. She was happy for her friend. "Actually that's kind of why I'm calling you. I met someone today and I'm not sure what to do about it. I don't even know if I'll ever see her again. I was a little mean to her."

"Okay, slow down." Marley laughed. "So, you met someone. What's her name? What does she look like?"

"Santana Lopez. She has long dark hair, tanned skin and brown eyes." Brittany described her with a smile.

"She sounds beautiful." Marley replied. "So, what do you mean you don't know if you'll ever see her again?"

Brittany sighed, "I talked to her for like five minutes. She flirted with me at the bar and I blew her off. I don't know why I did that Mar."

"You're still scared because of Sam. That's understandable but you can't put your life on hold because of him." Marley said softly. "When do you think you'll be coming back?"

"I can't yet. It's not safe." Brittany paused and then added, "Sam found me about a month ago. I got away."

"What?" Marley gasped, completely forgetting about Santana. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"He was waiting for me at my apartment. He apologized and was almost like his old self again. I believed him but then," She took a deep breath before continuing. "I refused to sleep with him. He got mad and hit me until I passed out. I guess he realized that I was useless for the night and fell asleep. He was still sleeping when I regained consciousness so I just took off."

"Brittany, you have to go to the police." Marley said, sounding extremely upset. "He'll kill you if he finds you again."

"I know but what if he hurts you or someone else I care about to get back at me? I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me."

"He can't hurt anyone from inside a jail cell." Marley said.

"He can't but other people can." Brittany pointed out. "Look, I filed for divorce a few days ago. Let's see how that goes first, okay? I don't want to put anyone at risk."

"You filed for divorce?" Marley asked. "Good. He's a bastard. He doesn't deserve to be married to you."

Brittany sighed again before saying, "I know. I'm tired so I'm going to bed now. I'll call you again in a couple of weeks, okay?"

"Okay. Be careful." Marley replied.

"I will. Thanks, Marley." Brittany said before hanging up the phone. Marley had given her something to think about. When was her life going to be her own again?

With her conversation with Marley still on her mind, Brittany fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

Santana fell into a routine the next two weeks. She went to work where she was stuck in the office doing paper work all day and then went to Rory's, the bar where Brittany worked at. Her heart skipped a beat every time she saw the blonde.

Brittany was slowly starting to warm up to Santana. It had taken a week for her to even speak to the agent without snapping at her. It was only when Santana stopped flirting and just simply talked to Brittany that she finally had a conversation with her. It had taken another week for the blonde to smile at her, it had been the tiniest of smiles but it was still the most beautiful thing Santana had ever seen.

Brittany had a presence about her that just intrigued Santana. She was a mixture of shyness, kindness and fear. She didn't like it when people came too close to her. She flinched every time they did, looking terrified.

Santana had also noticed the blonde's reaction to people coming into the bar. Every time a male customer came in she would watch them like she was expecting them to recognize her. Santana wondered if she was hiding from someone.

"Hi." Brittany greeted her with a small smile. She had really come to like Santana Lopez. She knew that the brunette only came to the bar to see her and that both flattered and bothered her.

"Hey, Bethany." Santana replied in her usual sultry voice. She had just about the sexiest voice Brittany had ever heard.

"The usual?" Brittany asked out of habit. Santana always sat at the bar and they chatted about random things or Santana's recent cases. Brittany understood why she couldn't talk about her current ones. Her uncle was a police officer so she knew all about confidentiality.

Santana nodded and admired how beautiful Brittany looked. She had stopped flirting with her but that didn't mean that she wasn't still very attracted to her.

"So, how do you feel about a game of pool?" Santana asked, fully expecting Brittany to refuse like she always did.

"You know what," Brittany said. "I think I'll let you teach me how to play."

Santana almost spit out her beer in surprise. "Awesome, let's go!" She quickly said, not wanting to give Brittany the time to change her mind.

Brittany was equally as shocked by her answer. She had been all set to say no but the words just popped out and now she couldn't take them back.

"Right now?" She asked, seeing that Santana had already jumped up.

"Yes." Santana simply replied.

"Fine, let me tell Jill that I'm taking my break." Brittany said, smiling a little at Santana's enthusiasm. She exchanged a few words with Jill and turned back to Santana. "Bring it on."

It made Santana happy to know that she was making progress. Brittany was finally letting her in a little and that made her happier than she had been in a very long time.

Brittany followed Santana to the pool table. She was amazed that the agent kept coming back to the bar to see her. She had treated her coldly for a solid week but it hadn't put her off. Brittany didn't want to admit it but she was happy that Santana was there for her.

She couldn't help but feel like she was betraying Sam by liking Santana so much though. Sam hadn't signed the divorce papers yet so legally they were still married. Brittany had spoken to her lawyer and he had started the proceedings where she didn't need Sam's consent to divorce him but it was a slow process.

Brittany was surprised that Sam hadn't found her yet but then again, he probably wasn't expecting her to move all the way to Atlantic City.

Santana noticed that Brittany was lost in thought. "Hey, do you still want to play?" She asked softly, careful not to startle the blonde.

Brittany nodded and offered her a wide smile. She grabbed a cue stick. "Now what?"

Santana grinned when Brittany seemed genuinely excited. "I'm going to have to touch you to show you the right position. Is that okay?" She asked.

Brittany nodded so Santana proceeded to show her how to hold the cue stick and how to line up her shot, probably touching her a little longer than necessary. After a few more minutes, it was game on.

Santana smiled proudly when she knocked three striped balls in the pockets of the pool table.

"I can do that." Brittany said smugly. She lined up and made her shot. Santana's jaw dropped when she knocked in five balls. Brittany saw this and winked at her. "I never said that I don't know how to play."

Santana laughed and titled her head in amusement. "You're something else. You know that?" She asked, watching as Brittany cleared the table without any effort.

* * *

After that game, Brittany and Santana played pool every day for a week. Brittany was finally starting to trust Santana. She had stopped flinching every time the brunette came too close and had even hugged her on one occasion. She had just made a very difficult shot and had gotten caught up in the excitement of the moment.

Brittany had been working all day and before she knew it her shift had come to an end. Santana had left about two hours ago so Brittany was surprised when she turned around to see her standing there.

"Hi." Brittany said shyly.

"Hey." Santana said. She wasn't really sure why she had come back to the bar. When she had gotten home earlier, she immediately wanted to see Brittany again.

"What are you doing here?" Brittany asked.

"I don't know exactly." Santana replied, scratching the back of her neck. "I just can't seem to stay away from you."

Brittany's eyebrows pinched together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure." Santana laughed nervously. "I just thought that maybe I could walk you home. It's not safe for you to walk home alone at night. In the dark." She rambled. She was confused about her feelings and she didn't really know what to make of them. She had never felt this way before and she just wanted to spend more time with the blonde.

Brittany looked at her curiously. Santana had never offered to walk her home before. Brittany was a little wary of the unexpected offer but in a sense Santana was right. It was dangerous for her to walk home. She was always afraid that Sam would find her and it was exhausting to constantly be looking out for him.

"Okay." Brittany finally agreed. Santana smiled so widely that her cute dimples showed and Brittany's hesitation instantly disappeared.

"Are you ready to go?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded and they headed out the door.

They made small talk as they walked. After about ten minutes, Santana was hit by a sudden wave of boldness and she reached for Brittany's hand.

Brittany jumped and pulled her hand away. She stopped walking abruptly. "Why did you do that?"

Santana felt her face heat up. She looked down at her feet and then back up again. She looked straight into a pair of expectant blue eyes and stammered, "I-I don't know. It just felt right. I-I really like you Bethany."

"San." Brittany whispered. She had never seen the brunette look this vulnerable before. She reached out and took Santana's hand, intertwining their fingers. "I like you too."

Santana could finally breathe again.

She looked up and smiled warmly at Brittany. She gave her hand a small tug, indicating that they should start walking again. When they reached Brittany's apartment, Santana looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Can I walk you home again tomorrow night?"

Brittany sighed and let go of her hand. "Before I answer that, there's something that I need to tell you." It didn't feel right to lead Santana on when she was still a married woman.

Santana tensed slightly, she understood that this was a serious matter. She nodded but didn't say anything.

Brittany turned around to unlock the door and motioned for Santana to follow her into the apartment. "I don't want to do this outside." She explained.

Santana nodded in understanding. Brittany turned on the lights as she led Santana into the living room where they sat down on the couch together. Santana just looked at Brittany, waiting patiently until she was ready to talk.

After a minute she finally did. "I like you Santana but I can't be with you. I'm not available."

"What do you mean by that?" Santana narrowed her eyes.

"I'm married." Brittany blurted out.

"What?" Santana asked in shock. She hadn't been expecting to hear that.

"I'm getting a divorce but right now I'm still married." Brittany explained. Santana looked relieved but Brittany wasn't done talking yet. "I'm not ready to be involved with anyone right now. There are things that you don't know about me and... it's complicated." Brittany said, frustrated at how hard this was. "I don't want to lead you on."

Santana was silent for a minute as she tried to gather her thoughts. She waited for the blonde to look at her before gently taking her hand in her own. "Look Bethany, I know that someone physically and emotionally hurt you. I know that you're afraid but I would never do that to you." She paused for a few seconds before adding, "I understand if you're not ready, I can wait, but will you at least be my friend until then?"

Brittany was taken aback by Santana's words. She was shocked that the brunette had guessed about the abuse but then again, she was an FBI-agent. "I don't know if I'll ever be ready, San." Brittany said softly.

"I understand." Santana replied. She knew that she needed Brittany in her life, even if friends were all they could be. "Can I still walk you home tomorrow, as a friend?"

Brittany nodded and smiled for what felt like the first time in hours. "I'd like that. Thank you."

"For what?" Santana asked.

"For being here for me." Brittany said shyly.

Santana gave her hand a soft squeeze. "I'll always be here for you, Bethany."

"Brittany." Brittany said. Santana just stared at her with a confused expression so she continued, "My real name is Brittany not Bethany."

"Brittany." Santana repeated softly. She smiled. "It's beautiful just like you." She pushed away the questions that she had. She wanted to ask Brittany why she had changed her name and who she was running from. She also wondered why her name sounded so familiar.

"Thanks." Brittany blushed a little. "Don't call me that at Rory's though. I'd lose my job if word comes out that I lied about my name. You probably have a lot of questions, being in the FBI and all, but all I can say is that I haven't done anything illegal. I just needed to disappear for a while."

Santana nodded. It had never even crossed her mind that Brittany might be running from the law. "Okay. I hope that you'll tell me everything in time."

Brittany sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Santana was beyond surprised when Brittany suddenly pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around Brittany's thin waist and the scent of strawberries and vanilla filled her nostrils. She couldn't stop herself from letting out a content sigh.

Brittany pulled away and smiled shyly. "Thanks for everything."

Santana returned the smile and stood up so that Brittany could show her out the door. Santana turned around after stepping outside and said, "I'll see you tomorrow Brittany."

Brittany smiled and watched her go. She was still surprised at what she had told Santana. After Sam she didn't think that she would ever trust anyone again besides Marley and her family. She didn't even know if she could trust her own judgment. She had thought that Sam was the most wonderful man in the world and look how that turned out.

Brittany shut the door and walked into her bedroom. She knew she needed to talk to someone about her growing feelings for Santana so she called Marley as per usual.

She missed her best friend so much. Brittany had never really realized how much she had come to depend on her until she left. Brittany also really missed her brother. The two of them had grown impossible closer ever since their parents died in a car crash a few years ago. She had only talked to Daniel once since she left Lima. He had been so worried about her and having to lie to him broke Brittany's heart. She had told him that Sam and her were on a break and that there was nothing to worry about. She knew that Daniel would probably kill Sam if he learned what was really going on and she didn't want her brother to go to jail.

Brittany stayed up a long time just thinking about Santana and how much she enjoyed being around her. She did feel a little bad that she couldn't tell Santana everything about her but she would tell her the truth eventually.

* * *

"Hi, B." Santana greeted Brittany happily. She was hoping for a game of pool and had therefore stopped by the bar earlier than usual.

"Hi." Brittany replied, smiling at the new nickname. "You're here early."

"Well, I was hoping that we could play a game. What do you say?" Santana asked hopefully.

"Do you want to get your butt kicked again?" Brittany smirked. "I get off in fifteen minutes. Will you wait?"

Santana nodded. "Of course. Can I get a burger and a coke?"

"Sure." Brittany said. She told the kitchen Santana's order and Jill pulled her aside on the way back.

"See, I told you that she's into you."

Brittany sighed. "We're just friends." She repeated for the millionth time in the past few weeks.

Jill laughed skeptically. "If you two are just friends, I'm queen Elizabeth." She said before walking away.

Brittany frowned in confusion and returned to Santana with her order. "Here you go."

Santana sipped her coke and ate her burger while waiting for Brittany to finish her shift. She didn't mind waiting. It gave her the opportunity to admire Brittany's beauty without being obvious.

"Okay, are you ready to lose?" Brittany asked, following Santana to the pool table.

"I have a feeling that I'm going to win this time." Santana replied.

Brittany smirked. "In your dreams." She racked up the balls and looked at Santana. "Do you want to break?"

"Sure." Santana said, knowing that she probably wouldn't even get a chance to play if Brittany did.

Santana bent over the table and got into position. She was taken by surprise when Brittany came up behind her. The blonde leaned in and spoke softly, "Do you want me to help you out?"

Santana swallowed thickly. This was the first time that Brittany had initiated their flirting. "Yes." She whispered back.

Brittany moved a little closer and was just about to say something when a male voice caught her attention, "Hey, beautiful!"

Brittany jumped away from Santana and turned to the voice she knew so well. "Daniel!"

Santana clenched her jaw and watched in jealously when Brittany ran straight into the man's arms.

"How did you find me?" Brittany asked, pulling away from the embrace. She couldn't believe that Daniel was actually here. "God, I missed you so much. How are you? Have you been getting enough sleep? You look tired."

Daniel smiled as she bombarded him with questions. "I'm fine now that I know that you're okay. I talked to Marley." He replied. His eyes landed on Santana. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh sorry!" Brittany quickly apologized. "San, this is my brother Daniel. Dan, this is Santana Lopez."

Relief washed over Santana knowing that it was just her brother. She knew that she had no right to be jealous but she couldn't help herself.

"Hi." Santana said. "It's nice to meet you."

Daniel looked at Brittany and then at Santana again. "Actually, we've met before." Santana looked puzzled so Daniel explained, "At the police station in Lima. I was helping James Pierce out with a case."

"Uncle Jamie?" Brittany asked without thinking. "How has he been?"

Santana whipped her head around to Brittany as the pieces fell into place. She was Brittany Pierce! Santana had seen her pictures on James' desk. That's why she had seemed so familiar.

Daniel didn't know why Brittany had left Lima, not the real reason anyway. He knew Brittany was using a fake name though so maybe the middle of a bar wasn't the right place to be having this conversation.

He looked at his sister. "Can we go someplace else for this?"

Brittany's eyes widened when she remembered where they were. She nodded in agreement. Her eyes met Santana's. "I'm sorry San but can we do this another time? I really need to speak to my brother alone."

"Sure." Santana replied. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that she wasn't going to be included in the conversation. She watched as the two walked away before gathering her own things.

Nobody noticed the man in the back of the bar watching the trio. He took out his phone and made a call. "I found her, boss. You were right, Daniel Pierce led me right to her. What do you want me to do?"

"Bring her to me." Came the answer.

* * *

Brittany brought Daniel back to her place and they caught up on everything that had been going on in their lives. It didn't take long before Daniel brought up Sam and Brittany tensed up, dreading the conversation that was coming.

"Why did you leave Sam?" Daniel asked, though from what he had gotten out of Marley he already had an idea.

"We just needed some time apart." Brittany replied. She didn't want to tell him that Sam hit her. She was ashamed that she had let it get that far.

"Be honest with me. I know that unless there's something seriously wrong, you would be trying to work things out instead of running away from it." Daniel said gently. He needed to hear it from her.

"I... He..." Brittany tried but couldn't get the words out. She knew that she would have to tell him. There was no way around it.

"Britt, talk to me." Daniel said in such a sweet voice that Brittany couldn't help but smile a little.

She looked down at her feet. "I did something to make Sam angry and he hit me." She said softly. "He didn't mean to. It was my fault. It wouldn't have happened if I'd been more careful."

Daniel was absolutely furious. He had been expecting something like this but actually hearing it from his sister made it real. "I'm going to kill him!"

Brittany looked up. "No! He really didn't mean to. He said he was sorry like he always does. I filed for divorce but he is fighting it. Once the divorce gets through I'll come back to Lima and everything will be fine." Brittany desperately wanted to believe what she was saying but deep down she knew nothing would ever be okay again.

"Why are you defending that bastard?" Daniel asked in disbelief. "And what do you mean like he always does? How many times has he hit you?"

"Just this once." Brittany lied, keeping her eyes glued to her feet.

"Brittany." Daniel said in a warning tone. "Tell me the truth."

Tears welled up in Brittany's eyes and she snapped her head up. "Do you really want to know? Fine! He hit me almost every day since he came back from Iraq, okay? Are you happy now? Instead of helping my husband with his problems, I ran away!" She cried out, consumed by shame that she had failed the man she had promised her life to.

"Oh, Britt." Daniel said as he pulled his sister into his arms. He rubbed her back as she cried into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." He whispered. It scared him to see Brittany like this. She was the strongest person he knew but Sam had beaten the confidence out of her.

Brittany's sobs slowly subsided and Daniel pulled back to look at her. "Everything's going to be okay." He said as he pulled out his phone. "I'll call uncle Jamie right now. Sam needs to be arrested."

Brittany's eyes widened and in a swift movement she grabbed the phone out of his hand. "No."

"You can't let him get away with this!" Daniel argued.

"Sam is working for the Abrams now." Brittany explained. "He might hurt my family or friends if I have him arrested."

"Sam is working for the Abrams?" Daniel almost yelled. Brittany flinched at the sudden outburst and Daniel's expression instantly softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's not you, Dan. It's just that Sam would always yell before he..." She trailed off as she started to cry again.

Daniel once again cursed Sam for doing this to Brittany. He pulled his sister to him again and held her as she cried.

Brittany flinched when she suddenly heard a loud thud. Daniel went limp and toppled over. Brittany scrambled away and looked around her apartment. "Daniel!" She cried out.

That's when she saw a man standing by Daniel's side with a metal stick in his hand. Brittany was momentarily paralyzed by fear but then anger took over.

The man had orders to take Brittany alive so he lowered his stick when he saw that she was frozen in fear. He never even saw the large knife that Brittany had grabbed.

Brittany swung the knife at the man as he rushed her and watched numbly as he ran straight into the blade. It hit him in the neck and blood sprayed out of the wound as he collapsed to the floor screaming.

Brittany stared at the body of her attacker for a long time. It felt like she was disconnected from the whole scene. As if she had watched it play out in front of her outside of her own body. The only thought in her mind had been that Daniel was hurt and that she had to protect him and herself.

Her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she sank down to the floor, still staring at the body.

* * *

Daniel groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. A sharp pain shot through his head but he didn't have time to register it because his thoughts immediately went to Brittany. He looked around and spotted her next to the couch. She was sitting on the floor just staring at something but he couldn't see what it was.

He slowly got to his feet and walked around the couch. He covered his mouth with his hand, almost throwing up at the sight in front of him. Brittany was sitting in a pool of blood, blankly staring at a dead man.

Daniel grabbed Brittany's phone and called the only person he knew there.

"Brittany?" Santana answered the phone.

"Santana, it's Daniel. Can you get over to Brittany's right now?" He asked urgently.

"I'll be right there." Santana said before hanging up.

As Daniel waited for Santana, he called an ambulance even though he knew that the man was dead. Brittany hadn't uttered a word so far. So traumatized by what had happened she was still staring blankly ahead, as if in trance.

Santana arrived just as the ambulance drove away. Her heart leaped into her throat and she raced up the steps to Brittany's apartment. She knocked loudly and rapidly until Daniel answered the door. Santana brushed past him and went inside looking for Brittany. She spotted her next to a police officer and it looked like she was being questioned.

"What happened here?" She asked. She looked around the apartment and saw a huge blood stain on the floor and a knife in a plastic evidence bag on the table. "Is Brittany okay?"

"I honestly don't know. She hasn't said a word since it happened." Daniel said.

"Since _what_ happened?" Santana demanded.

Daniel touched the back of his head. "I was comforting Brittany when someone knocked me out. When I woke up, Brittany was sitting on the floor covered in blood staring at some dead guy on the floor."

Santana felt the color drain from her face. She rushed over to Brittany and flashed her ID badge. "Back off. She's clearly not in any condition to answer questions." She growled at the police officer.

Brittany just looked at Santana as if she wasn't there. "Britt, can you hear me?" Santana tried but it was like Brittany was looking right through her. "It's me, Santana. Please look at me." Santana was beginning to worry when the blonde didn't react at all. "Brittany!" She said a little louder and to her relief, Brittany blinked and looked at her.

"Oh God." Brittany whimpered. Recognition flickered in her eyes and she threw herself in Santana's arms. "I didn't mean to kill him. I swear I didn't." She mumbled over and over again.

"Shh, it's okay." Santana silenced her as she held her tightly. "I know you didn't." She continued to whisper soothing words into Brittany's hair until she calmed down.

"Dan!" Brittany suddenly called out. She pulled away from Santana and looked around.

"I'm right here Britt." Daniel said, feeling both relieved and confused. He wondered how Santana had been able to reach Brittany when he hadn't. He wasn't jealous but definitely curious about what was going on between the two.

Brittany rushed over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Daniel assured her. "What happened, Britt?"

Brittany shuddered. "I saw him standing over you with some kind of stick. He chased me so I grabbed the first thing I could find and swung it at him." She explained in a shaky voice. "There was so much blood."

Everyone was silent as they took in her words. Brittany was pale and her hands were shaking so Santana placed a comforting hand between the blonde's shoulder blades in hopes to calm her down a little.

The phone suddenly rang but nobody bothered to pick it up so it went straight to voicemail. It was Marley.

_"Britt, you need to get out of there as soon as you can. Sam knows where you are. He's not happy about you wanting a divorce and I'm not sure what he will do. Call me as soon as you get settled somewhere safe. I love you."_

Brittany and Daniel just looked at each other in shock, both realizing that Sam could be behind the attack.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" Santana asked. She had already suspected that someone was after Brittany but hearing it still made her furious.

"I will but not right now." Brittany said, looking at the people milling around her apartment.

Santana nodded her understanding and stepped away from Brittany to try to hurry the officers along.

"You can't stay here." Daniel said. "Why don't you come back to Lima where your family can protect you? Everyone misses you."

Brittany shook her head. "I can't. Sam is there. We don't know what he might do. He'll never forgive me for leaving him."

Daniel couldn't believe that Brittany was worried about Sam forgiving her instead of the other way around. It would take a long time to undo the damage that bastard had done to his sister. She had been forced to kill someone to save her own life and that would haunt her for a very long time.

"Okay but you can't stay _here_." Daniel said, emphasizing the last word. "Sam knows where you are and he'll try again."

Santana who had come up behind them nodded her head in agreement. "He is right Brittany. You can't stay here even if you wanted to. It's a crime scene now." She explained. "If this Sam that you keep mentioning is responsible for what happened tonight, you need someone to protect you."

Brittany sighed. "I understand that but I don't have anywhere else to go. I was trying to avoid people so I didn't exactly make a lot of friends."

"You can stay with me." Santana said. "I can use my vacation days and take some time off."

Brittany smiled. "That's really nice of you but I can't ask you to do that."

"You didn't ask." Santana corrected her. "I offered."

"That's a great idea!" Daniel said. "What better person can you ask for protection than a FBI-agent." He could tell that Brittany was going to refuse again so he pulled out the big guns. "Please do it for me. Maybe I can sleep at night knowing you have someone looking out for you."

Brittany hated it when Daniel did that. He knew that she would do anything to make him feel better. "Okay, fine but only for a little while." She finally agreed. "What about you, Dan?"

"I'm going back to Lima to try to find something to put Sam away with. If he's really working for the Abrams there has to be proof." Daniel replied.

"Dan!" Brittany exclaimed. "They are very dangerous. You could get hurt."

"She's right Daniel." Santana said. "If anyone is going to dig around into the Abrams organization it should be me. The FBI has been looking to bust them for a long time."

Daniel pulled Santana aside and spoke softly. "I'm good at finding out things that no one else can, I learned from the best after all. My sister needs the best protection and from what I've heard that's you. I don't know you that well but Brittany seems to like and trust you so that's good enough for me."

Santana sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay but I want you to check in with me every day. The FBI will take over once you have something on the Abrams and put them out of business. Agreed?"

Daniel nodded and went over to Brittany. "I'm going back to Lima now. Call me if you need anything." He gave her a hug and turned to Santana. "Take good care of her."

Daniel left after he had given his statement to the police and Santana and Brittany just stood there for a while.

"Why don't you get your stuff and we can get out of here?" Santana broke the silence.

Brittany nodded and headed into the bedroom to gather her things. It wasn't much so she reappeared only a few minutes later. "Okay, I got it all."

Santana told the officers that they were leaving and where they could be found. On the way to Santana's place, Brittany thought about everything that had happened in the past year. She knew that she would have to tell Santana but she wasn't sure how or even where to start.

Santana pulled into her parking spot and turned to Brittany. "We're here."

Santana was glad that Brittany would be staying with her but she was also a little scared. She was very attracted to Brittany and she could tell that Brittany was attracted to her as well. They would be spending a lot of time here together, alone. She knew that she wouldn't be able to leave Brittany if something happened between them. She wouldn't be able to let her go.

Brittany nodded and they both got out of the car. Santana led the way to the front door. She let them in and gave Brittany a quick tour of the place. "You can take the bed and I'll sleep on the couch."

"I can't ask you to give up your own bed for me." Brittany argued.

"I insist." Santana said. "It's been a long night and I'm sure you're very tired. Why don't you take a shower and get some rest?"

Brittany sighed. She was very tired and didn't have the energy to argue with Santana. "Okay." She said. "Good night, San."

Santana gave her a small smile. "Good night, Britt."

Brittany left the room and Santana let out the breath she had been holding. If Brittany had stayed a minute longer, Santana would have thrown caution to the wind and kissed her. She had been wanting to ever since Brittany ran into her arms back at her apartment. Santana didn't know how she was going to have Brittany here and not kiss her but she didn't have a choice. She sighed and sat down on the couch, preparing herself for a long night.

* * *

A blood curdling scream tore Santana from the restless sleep she had been in. She quickly got to her feet, grabbed her gun and ran into the bedroom. She burst through the door looking for intruders. Her heart broke at the sight in front of her.

Brittany was writhing on the bed, obviously in the grips of a nightmare. "Sam! Please don't!" She pleaded in her sleep.

Santana sat down on the bed and lightly placed a hand on her shoulder. "Britt, wake up." She whispered. The blonde continued to trash around so Santana shook her and spoke with a little more force, "Brittany!"

Brittany bolted upright with a startled yelp. Her eyes widened when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she jerked herself away violently. "No, leave me alone!"

"Shh, it's just me. You were having a bad dream." Santana said softly, trying to calm her. "It's okay. You're safe now."

Brittany's eyes darted around Santana's face until they settled on brown orbs. She let out a shuddering breath as realization hit her. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." Santana said softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Brittany bit her lip and shook her head. "No, thank you. I'm okay now."

Santana nodded sadly. She got off the bed and started to leave.

Brittany was desperately trying to hold herself together. She didn't want to cry in front of Santana. It was hard when the brunette was being so nice and understanding.

"Wait." She blurted out as Santana reached the door. "Will you stay with me?"

Santana nodded and walked to the chair standing next to the bed. She was just about to sit down when Brittany stopped her. "Can you just hold me? Please?"

Santana nodded again and crawled under the covers. She let out a small, content sigh when Brittany snuggled into her arms. She closed her eyes and pulled the blonde a little closer.

She was just about to fall asleep when Brittany spoke. "San?"

"Yeah?" Santana said softly.

"I'm sorry."

Santana frowned in confusion. "For what?"

Brittany sighed. "For being such a bother."

"Hey," Santana whispered gently. "you're not a bother. I care about you a lot. Don't you know that by now?"

Brittany nodded against her shoulder. She did know that Santana cared for her and it frightened her because she herself was beginning to care about Santana a lot more than just a friend. "I know. It's just that.. well..." She trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"It's okay Britt. Do you want to talk about your dream?" Santana asked, knowing instinctively that Brittany wanted to talk about it but didn't know how to bring it up.

"It wasn't really a dream, more of a memory." Brittany started and then it all just came pouring out. She told Santana about Sam's time in Iraq. How she had received a phone call with the news that he had gone missing. How hard it had been to live through those months of uncertainty.

Her voice wavered slightly when she reached the part about Sam coming home to her. "I was so happy that my husband was alive and well." She said. "I knew that things wouldn't be the same but I didn't expect them to be so different..."

Santana had been silent through the whole story but it looked like Brittany wasn't going to continue. "Different how?" She asked softly.

"He had turned into a completely different person. He yelled and threw things at me. I knew that he was struggling but every time I pressed him into getting help, he told me that he didn't need anyone but me."

Brittany continued telling Santana about how Sam had slapped and hit her and Santana felt herself getting angrier and angrier. If Sam had been in the room at that very moment, Santana knew she would've killed him. It pained her that Brittany had been through so much and she swore that she'd do anything to protect her from now on.

With that thought, Santana realized that she was in love with Brittany. That she had probably been in love with the blue eyed beauty since the day they met. Santana wanted to tell Brittany but she knew that Brittany was nowhere near ready to hear that. Santana wasn't even sure if she was ready to tell her.

Brittany ended her story by telling Santana about how Sam had found her and how she had gotten away while he was asleep. She felt emotionally drained but relieved at the same time.

"Thanks for telling me." Santana said. "I'm sorry that you had to go through all that but you're safe now. He isn't going to hurt you ever again."

Brittany turned in Santana's arms and looked up at her. "You don't understand. It's my fault that Sam is the way he is. I should've tried harder to help him. I failed him as a wife."

"Brittany," Santana sighed. "You're not a psychiatrist. You're not trained to deal with those kinds of problems and Sam knew that. It wasn't fair of him to put those expectations on you."

"But..."

"Britt, listen to me." Santana interrupted her. "Sam had a choice. He could have looked for professional help but he didn't. That's his fault not yours. If Sam really loved you he would have gotten the help he needed instead of expecting you to fix everything."

Brittany just looked at her for a moment. A few tears leaked from her eyes but she quickly wiped them away. "Thank you." She finally said.

"Anytime." Santana whispered back. She couldn't stop herself from pressing a soft kiss to Brittany's forehead. Luckily, Brittany didn't pull away.

Santana held Brittany close until the blonde fell into a deep sleep before falling asleep herself with a small smile on her face.

* * *

Brittany woke up to the sun shining into the room. She tensed up when she felt a weight across her waist and carefully began to move away.

"It's okay, Britt." Santana said when she felt the movement. "It's just me."

"Santana." Brittany sighed in relief, relaxing into her hold. She turned around and looked up. "Thanks for staying with me last night."

"You're welcome." Santana said, staring down into bright blue eyes. "Anything for you." She added. She meant it, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Brittany.

Brittany thought back to the night before. She couldn't remember when she had felt as safe as she did in Santana's arms. She had been woken up by two more nightmares during the night but each time Santana had soothed her.

Santana had an overpowering urge to kiss Brittany as the blonde stared at her as if she was the only thing in the world. Unable to stop herself, she slowly closed the distance between them and gently pressed their lips together.

Brittany didn't stop her because she wanted this as much as Santana did. She let out a soft moan, surprised by the heat the kiss generated in her. It was very soft and tender but yet it affected her more than anything ever had before.

Suddenly, Santana pulled away. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Brittany looked away for a moment and then back at Santana. "Why are you sorry? I wanted this as much as you did so don't be sorry on my account." With that, she got out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"Brittany." Santana stopped her. "I just don't want to do anything you're not ready for. I care about you too much to ever take advantage of you."

Brittany turned around. "You weren't taking advantage of me. I wouldn't have kissed you back if I didn't want it." She gave Santana a warm smile before disappearing into the bathroom.

Brittany thought about a lot of things while she was in the shower. Last night, when she told Santana about her past, something changed in their relationship. Brittany wasn't thinking about Santana as just a friend anymore.

Brittany knew that Santana wanted more but it wasn't until now that she realized that she herself wanted more too. A lot more. That thought made her both happy and sad. Happy because Santana seemed to want her just as much and sad because she was still a married woman. She respected her wedding vows even though her and Sam weren't together anymore. She sighed in frustration. She didn't know what to do about this situation.

Santana called in to work while Brittany was in the shower. She requested three weeks off, shocking her boss. She rarely took a day off so let alone three weeks. He even asked her if she was dying.

"Hey Britt, what do you want for breakfast?" Santana called out after she heard the shower turn off.

"Pancakes!" Brittany automatically named her favorite breakfast food. She wasn't sure if Santana knew how to make them so she quickly added, "but I can make them myself."

Brittany emerged from the bedroom ten minutes later. Her jaw dropped when Santana presented her with a plate of delicious looking pancakes. "Wow," Brittany said. "You even made them with blueberries. I'm impressed."

"That's how I roll." Santana said with a shrug.

Brittany laughed. "Dork."

After breakfast, they sat down on the couch and simply held each other. They both realized that this changed their relationship but neither of them brought it up.

They watched movies and just talked all day. To Brittany it felt like she had known Santana her whole life. When she told Santana about her irrational fear of green M & M's, the brunette didn't laugh at her like everyone else. She simply smiled and said that she hated the orange ones because they were bad luck.

They played pool on the table that Santana had set up in the living room. Brittany beat her of course. Both of them avoided all serious discussion, they just wanted to enjoy spending time together.

It was about ten pm when Daniel called. He told them that Sam denied everything. Sam said that he was moving on with his life and that he just wanted to forget about the past.

Daniel happily told Brittany that Sam had signed the divorce papers. Daniel believed that Sam had done it so no one would think he was guilty of trying to hurt Brittany.

"You should have seen his face when he signed the papers." Daniel said. "He looked really angry. I'm positive that he was behind your attack in Atlantic City. I just need some time to prove it."

Brittany sighed. "I just can't believe that he is the man I married. The old Sam, the one I loved, wouldn't hurt a fly."

"I know Britt but people change." Daniel said sadly. He was silent for a moment before changing the subject. "So, how are you and Santana getting along?"

"Just fine." Brittany said with a smile. "We spent the day watching movies and playing pool."

Daniel rolled his eyes. Brittany had really fallen for Santana, he could tell by the way she spoke about her. "So have you told her yet?"

"Told her what?"

"That you love her." Daniel answered as if it were obvious.

Brittany sighed. "Of course not. I don't love her. I can't love her."

"Why not?" Daniel asked. "Santana is a good person. She isn't anything like Sam. She would never hurt you or treat you badly. She has a good job and a stable income. Just think about it."

"I don't even know how I feel about her. She is a wonderful person but so was Sam at first. How do I know that Santana won't change too? How do I know that she won't turn her back on me too?" Brittany asked, more confused about her feelings than ever. She didn't give Daniel the chance to respond. "Just keep trying to find something, Dan."

Santana walked back into the room and gestured that she wanted to talk to Daniel. Brittany handed her the phone and went outside to look at the stars. She loved to look up at the sky and imagine that she was anywhere else. It had always been her escape from reality. It made her feel part of something bigger than herself.

Santana hang up the phone and went looking for Brittany. Being around Brittany made her feel complete. She smiled when she spotted the blonde outside, sitting on the steps with a look of contentment on her face. Santana opened the door and sat down next to her.

"What are you looking at?" She asked as she tilted her head back and looked up at the sky as well.

Brittany smiled. "The stars. Aren't they beautiful?"

Santana looked back at Brittany's face. "I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life."

Brittany's blushed under Santana's intense stare and smiled shyly. Santana offered Brittany her hand and led her to the grass field in front of the porch where they sat down.

Santana maneuvered them so that Brittany was sitting between her legs with her back to her chest. Brittany snuggled into Santana's arms and clasped their hands together on her stomach.

Leaning back and looking up at the stars, Brittany felt more at peace than she ever had before.

* * *

The next few days passed much like the first one. Brittany and Santana played pool and talked about nothing and everything. Brittany could tell that Santana wanted her but she never put pressure on her. She let Brittany set the pace of their relationship and that meant more to Brittany than she could describe.

Brittany had teased and flirted with Santana. She wanted to be with the brunette in every way and now that Sam had signed the divorce papers she didn't see any reason to wait. Against all odds, after everything she had been through, Brittany had grown to trust Santana.

Santana walked through the door with several bags of groceries. "A little help here?" She called out.

Brittany laughed and quickly took the bags that were about to fall. "Did you have to carry in everything at once?"

Santana just shrugged sheepishly and looked away. She knew that if she looked at Brittany too long, she would take the blonde into her arms and kiss her senseless. Brittany had been driving her crazy for days with her flirty comments. She had been in a constant state of arousal and she didn't know how much more she could take.

"It looks different in here." Santana stated. "What did you do?"

"I cleaned up a little." Brittany replied with a smile. They began to put the groceries away and soon they were done. "Do you want to play a game of pool?"

"Sure." Santana said.

Brittany walked to the pool table and picked up a cue stick. "You break." she told Santana.

After playing a couple of games, Brittany looked at Santana with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Do you want to make this more interesting?"

Santana curiously raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you have in mind?"

"If I miss, I take something off. If you miss, you take something off." Brittany said. She smirked when Santana's eyes grew comically wide.

"Strip pool?" Santana asked, studying Brittany's face to see if she was being serious or not. Brittany nodded and Santana couldn't help but smile. "You're on but how about you have to take something off after I make a shot and vice versa."

"I'll even let you break." Brittany said.

Santana picked up a cue stick and made her shot. She turned to look at Brittany. "I'm waiting."

Brittany winked playfully and took off her shirt. Arousal shot through Santana's body as well-defined abs were revealed. Brittany smirked. "My eyes are up here."

Santana forced herself to look away. "It's your turn."

Brittany took her shot and looked at Santana expectantly. "Off with it."

Santana took off her shirt as well and Brittany bit her lip. The urge to run her hands over Santana's naked flesh was almost impossible to fight.

They continued to take turns and soon they were both left in just their underwear. Santana bent over the table to take her next shot and the sight drove Brittany crazy.

She moved to stand behind Santana and let her hand graze under the material of her bra. Santana whimpered and pushed her hips back against Brittany's center. She took her shot and turned around. She moved closer to Brittany until their lips were almost touching.

"What comes off next?" She whispered.

Brittany swallowed thickly and reached out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind Santana's ear. "I want you so bad."

Santana couldn't take it anymore.

She lunged at Brittany's mouth, drawing her in for a fiery kiss. Brittany moaned and ran her hands up Santana's sides as Santana nibbled on her bottom lip. Brittany granted her access and their tongues met in a heated battle.

Brittany moved her hand down Santana's chest and over her toned stomach. Santana gasped when slender fingers began to massage her clit through the thin fabric of her panties.

She pushed Brittany into the bedroom and straddled her on the bed. She slipped her leg between Brittany's thighs and felt the heat there. She started a slow trail of kisses down the blonde's neck and lightly bit down on her collarbone before glancing up her. "Are you sure?"

Brittany just stared down at her with dark, lustful eyes. She slid her hand behind Santana's neck and captured her lips with her own. Santana moaned as Brittany flicked her tongue against hers and deepened the kiss. Brittany's hands moved down to Santana's thighs, urging her down and bringing their hips together.

* * *

Brittany rolled off Santana and onto her back. Santana draped an arm over Brittany's waist and kissed the top of her head. "That was amazing."

Brittany just hummed in agreement, too dazed and drained to move. She pulled the covers over them and closed her eyes.

"Britt?"

"Hmm." Brittany mumbled tiredly. "Sleep."

Santana smiled a little. "I just want to say something."

This caught Brittany's attention and she opened her eyes. She frowned in concern when she saw the nervous expression on Santana's face. "What's wrong?"

"I…um...I..." Santana stammered, not really sure how to say it.

"San?" Brittany asked. She was beginning to get scared. "Do you regret it?"

"God no!" Santana said quickly. "That was the most amazing experience of my life."

"Then what is it?" Brittany asked.

Santana looked down at her hands for a second then back up into Brittany's eyes. "I love you." She blurted out. "I know you aren't ready to hear that and you probably don't feel the same way but I just... I love you."

Brittany hadn't thought that she would ever be able to love someone again but looking into those beautiful brown eyes, she just knew. She was in love with Santana Lopez. It didn't really matter if it was too soon or not because she had already fallen for Santana and she didn't want to miss a second of it.

"San." She said softly but Santana refused to look at her. She cupped the agent's chin and tilted her face up. "I love you too." She said with a smile. "I tried not to, I tried to deny it but the truth is that I love you. I'm in love with you."

Santana's face lit up. "Really?"

Brittany nodded and lightly pecked Santana's lips. "Can we just stay here for a while?"

"Sure." Santana said. She snuggled into Brittany's embrace and smiled up at her. "This was the best day of my life."

"Mine too." Brittany whispered back.

* * *

Santana was woken up the next morning by Brittany screaming. She quickly sat up and reached out for her gun on the bedside table before looking over to Brittany. The blonde was staring at something with wide and frightened eyes.

Santana followed her line of sight and her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw the three men standing at the foot of the bed.

"W-what are you doing here Sam?" Brittany asked shakily, speaking to the man in the middle.

"Did you really think I would let you go that easily?" Sam growled, looking at her with disgust. "Why am I not surprised that you've already whored yourself out?"

Santana pointed her gun at him. "Do not speak to her like that! How did you even get in here? I have an alarm!"

Sam nodded at his companions and they whipped out guns of their own, pointing them at Brittany. "Put down your gun Lopez or I'll just shoot Brittany and let you watch her die." Sam said with an evil grin. "And to answer your question, I just bought the code. You'd be surprised by how much you can buy these days."

"You bastard!" Brittany spat at him, clutching the sheet around her naked torso. "I can't believe I ever loved you."

Sam just looked at her coldly. "Get dressed. You're coming with me."

Brittany shook her head. "No, I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Fine." Sam narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll just have them shoot your little girlfriend before I beat you to death myself." The two men shifted their aim to Santana who had dropped her gun the moment Sam had threatened to shoot Brittany.

"No!" Brittany yelled. "Leave her out of this. She never did anything to you." She looked at Santana and helplessly said, "I have to go with him."

"Britt." Santana whispered in desperation. She couldn't lose her, they had only just found each other. "Please don't."

Sam walked over to the side of the bed and grabbed Brittany's arm. Brittany never broke eye-contact with Santana as Sam dragged her out of bed. Santana went to lunge at Sam but one of the men hit her in the back of the head, knocking her out cold.

"Santana!" Brittany screamed. She turned around and angrily pounded on Sam's chest. "No! I hate you!"

Sam roughly pushed her away and slapped her hard across the face. "Shut up." He picked up some clothes and threw them at her. "Get dressed. We are leaving."

Brittany fell back on the bed, holding the side of her face. Sam's features were twisted into a vicious snarl and he looked prepared to hit her again. She shielded herself with her arms. "Okay I'll go! Just please don't hurt her!" She begged.

Sam laughed. "I won't if you come quietly. You won't ever see that slut again anyway."

Brittany quickly got dressed while frequently looking at Santana in hopes that she would wake up. Sam dragged Brittany out of the room and out of the house. She was crying by now. "Please Sam, just let me go." She tried once more.

Sam looked over at her with dark eyes. "You belong to me. I will never let you go!" He grabbed the back of her head and kissed her roughly, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Brittany gagged at his violent kiss. She felt sick to her stomach and tried to turn her head away but Sam wouldn't let her. When he finally let her go, he was breathing heavily. "You're mine." He growled before shoving her into the car and speeding off.

Brittany looked out the window and watched as Santana got further and further away from her. She began to sob when Santana's apartment was out of sight.

* * *

Santana blearily cracked her eyes open. She groaned when a sharp pain shot through her head and blinked a few times to clear the fogginess. She sat up and suddenly remembered what happened. "Brittany!" She called out but there was no one to be found.

She quickly got dressed before calling the first person that came to mind.

"Hello?"

"James!" Santana practically yelled into the phone. "Brittany has been taken!"

"Santana Lopez? Is that you?" James asked, obviously confused. "What about Brittany? How do you know her?"

Santana ran her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Just listen to me! Sam took Brittany. He knocked me out and then he took her. We need to find her!"

"Sam did what? What the hell is going on?" James asked, extremely worried by Santana's frantic tone. "Where are you?"

Santana sighed and quickly explained the situation. She told James about what happened between Brittany and Sam and how she had come to meet her. She left out the part about her being in love with his niece, there was no time for that right now.

"I'll put out an APB on them. We'll find her." James promised before ending the call.

Santana was deadly afraid that Sam would seriously hurt Brittany in retaliation for her leaving him. Brittany had become Santana's life and she didn't think she would survive if anything happened to her. Brittany was the best thing that ever happened to her and she wasn't going to let that psycho salmon take her away from her.

She hurriedly packed some clothes and ran to her car. She knew that Sam would probably bring Brittany back to Lima so that's where she was headed. She started the engine and sped off, praying that she would reach Brittany in time.

* * *

Santana ran into the police station. "Did you find her?" She asked frantically. She looked around but the station was practically empty. "James?" She called out.

James walked out of his office with a somber expression. "We haven't found them yet." He was about to say more when Daniel came racing towards them.

"Uncle Jaime we have a problem!" He said urgently, not noticing Santana standing there looking shattered. "I found out that Sam killed Artie Abrams to take over the business!"

"What?" Santana asked, even more frightened for Brittany than ever.

Daniel finally noticed her. "What are you doing here?" He asked, looking very confused. It became clear to Santana that he hadn't been informed on the news yet. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He trailed off as realization hit him. "Oh God, where is Brittany?"

Santana looked down. "I don't know. Sam came to my apartment with a couple of men, he apparently bought the code to my security system. One of them knocked me out and Sam took Brittany." Tears welled up in her eyes but she blinked them away. It was all her fault. If she had just been more alert or if she had just gotten a better security system, none of this would've happened.

"Why are we just standing here?" Daniel asked urgently. "She could be seriously hurt if Sam has her!"

"You knew about this too?" James asked, getting annoyed. "Did everyone know that my niece was getting beaten but me? I could've arrested that piece of shit!" He yelled. He shook his head and continued more calmly. "Now isn't the time for this. I have everyone looking for them so we will find them if they came back to Lima."

James disappeared into his office and Daniel looked at Santana fearfully. "Do you think Sam is going to kill her?"

Santana shook her head. "I don't think so but he was very angry that she left him. He caught her in bed with me so he might beat the crap out of her." The tears in her eyes started to fall one by one and she didn't bother to wipe them away. "All I know is that we have to find her. I can't live the rest of my life without her!"

Daniel knew that Santana was in love with Brittany but it wasn't until this moment that he realized just how much his sister meant to the usually calm and collected agent. He placed a hand on her arm and gave it a soft squeeze. "It'll be okay. We won't stop looking until we find her."

* * *

Brittany had never been this scared in her entire life. Sam had always shown remorse when he hit her before but he was cold and ruthless now. His eyes were hard and dark with nothing but anger in them.

"Sam?" She began hesitantly.

"Shut up." Sam said as he finished cuffing her hands to a pole against the wall. "I have to make sure that you won't go running back to that dyke. You need to learn that you belong to me."

Brittany looked around the room to try to find a way out. She didn't know where they were. She knew that they were back in Lima but she hadn't recognized the area. She was in a small room with a bed and a small dirty bathroom. "Sam, let me go! Please!" She begged once more.

Sam balled up his fist and punched her in the side, knocking the air out of her lungs. Brittany yelled out in pain and started to cry. "Why are you doing this?"

"Keep your mouth shut or I'll hit you again." Sam growled. He raised his arm and Brittany cowered on the floor. "You left me once and you won't do it again!" He yelled at her before continuing in a much softer voice. "I love you Brittany. That's why I'm doing this. Can't you see that I can't live without you?"

He reached out to caress her cheek but she flinched away. His face darkened again. "Is this how it's going to be?" He asked. "I can assure you that your attitude will change real quick once you've been chained to this wall for a couple of weeks."

"Weeks?" Brittany echoed. She brought her knees up under her chin and leaned back against the walls. "You're going to keep me here for weeks?"

"As long as it takes for you to realize that you're mine." Sam said. He grinned at the horrified look on her face and left the room.

Brittany stared after him, tears streaming down her pale face. She hardly recognized Sam anymore. He had almost seemed like his old self when he had softened but she knew that he was just trying to manipulate her. She wondered if he had been doing that ever since he came back from Iraq. Maybe she had been too blind to see what was right in front of her.

This was certainly not how she had expected her day to turn out. She had imagined waking up in Santana's arms and making love all day. Getting dragged out of bed by her ex-husband had definitely not been part of the plan.

Thinking of Santana only made her cry harder. The last thing she had wanted was for Santana to get hurt but that's exactly what happened. All because Santana had been with her.

She slowly got to her feet and began to pace around the room. The chain was short and prevented her from getting very far. She had enough room to walk into the bathroom and sit on the bed but she couldn't reach the door. She tore the room apart and ended up finding a pipe in a dirty corner of the bathroom.

She figured that she could use it later on. She needed to get back to Santana. She decided that she would play Sam's game until she could find the right time to make her move.

Exhausted, she collapsed on the bed and fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

Brittany had been missing for a week now and Santana wasn't in good shape. She had hardly eaten and didn't even remember what sleep was. All she could think about was Brittany. The smell of her hair, the color of her eyes, the taste of her lips.

She wasn't the only one who was going crazy, Daniel, James and Marley were just as frantic.

James' people had searched the entire town but hadn't found anything, not one single clue that Brittany was there. Daniel had, on the other hand, found evidence that Sam himself was now leading the Abrams organization. He had also found a security tape that showed Sam murdering Artie Abrams. That alone would be enough to put him away for a long, long time. The only problem was that no one could find him. It was like he had dropped off the face of the earth along with Brittany.

Santana was currently sitting in her new office. She had finally taken the job that James had offered her a long time ago. She had quit her job at the FBI after they had refused to help search for Brittany. She didn't regret it in the slightest.

* * *

Brittany was getting less and less confident that she would ever get away from Sam. He rarely left her alone. Sometimes he would stand in the doorway and simply stared at her. Brittany had no idea what he did most of the time but she did know that he was in charge of the Abrams organization. He had bragged about how he had killed Artie Abrams a few days ago.

Sam had yet to release her from the handcuffs and her wrists were raw and bloody. She refused to give in to him though. He had tried to kiss her and she had resisted him. Sam had gotten very angry and slapped her in the face but Brittany wasn't going to beg. She refused to be submissive to his will like she had been while they were married. Brittany didn't know how much longer Sam would accept her behavior. She could sense that it was starting to bother him more and more. He wanted her to break and fall back into his arms but Brittany wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

"Brittany!" Sam barged into the room. "Don't be stupid, I know you're awake."

Brittany looked at him from the bed. It had to be past midnight, Sam had never come by this late before. What if he was here with the intention to rape her? He had made several comments about taking what was rightfully his. She shuddered at the thought. "What do you want?" She spat at him, trying to keep fear out of her voice.

"What do you think?" Sam grinned. "You obviously."

Brittany shuddered again as her worst fears were realized. She sat up and frantically looked around for the pipe. She realized that she had stashed it in the bathroom and her eyes widened in panic. She jumped up and made a run for it. She screamed when Sam caught her and threw her back on the bed.

"Where do you think you're going, wifey?" Sam asked in an oddly calm voice.

He pressed her down on the bed and tried to kiss her. Brittany screamed and gathered all her strength before connecting her fist with Sam's face. Sam growled angrily, drew his hand back he and punched her in the jaw. Brittany cried out in pain and continued to struggle against him.

Sam caught her wrists in one hand while he hit her again and again with his free one. Brittany lay there dazed and Sam tore her shirt down. "Please don't do this." Brittany tried weakly.

Brittany was beyond terrified at this point. All that she could think was that Sam was going to rape her and there was nothing she could do about it. She closed her eyes and pictured Santana in her mind. It seemed so real that for a second she thought that she actually felt Santana's presence in the room with her.

* * *

Santana woke up from her troubled sleep with a cry. Her skin was coated in a layer of sweat and her heart was hammering in her chest. She knew without a doubt that Brittany needed her, right at this moment. She could feel the blonde's pain and terror as if it was her own. It was hard to describe.

She jumped out of bed and hurriedly got dressed. She was just reaching for her phone when it rang.

"Brittany?" She answered, praying it was her but deep down knowing better.

"It's Marley. Brittany is in trouble. I felt her!" Marley rushed out in one breath. "We need to find her. You have to believe me. She's so scared!"

Santana was silent for a few seconds. "I know." She said softly. "I felt her too. I'm on my way to the station. Meet me there."

She shoved her phone into her pocket and quickly gathered her things. She would've sounded like a fool telling anyone else that she had felt Brittany. Marley and Brittany had been best friends since they were kids and they had a bond that no one could explain. So if anyone would understand what Santana meant, it was her.

When Santana arrived at the station, Marley was already there. She ran up to Santana and hugged her. "Thank you for believing me!"

"Of course I believe you." Santana said after they broke apart. "Have you felt anything since?"

Marley shook her head. They walked into Santana's office and she spread out a map of Lima on her desk. "You knew Sam. Is there any place that we might have missed? A place that means something to him?"

* * *

Brittany struggled against Sam. "No stop!" She said over and over again. Sam ignored her and continued to touch and kiss her. He was about to pull her pants down when one of the guards burst into the room.

"There is a problem boss!"

Sam looked up angrily. "Not now, moron! I'm busy!" He yelled.

The guard looked frightened. "It's about that last shipment. Tsukino is saying that he was ripped off. He is upstairs with his crew demanding to see you."

Sam gave Brittany a violent shove and got off the bed. "We will have to pick this up later." He looked at her with a lustful expression and walked out the door.

* * *

Santana and Marley were studying the map together when Marley suddenly stiffened. She sighed in relief, earning a curious look from Santana. "What? Did you feel her again?"

Marley nodded. "She's fine but I don't know for how long. We've got to find her Santana."

* * *

Three days later Brittany still hadn't been found. Daniel was in his uncle's office. He missed Brittany so much. She was the only person who treated him like he mattered. He was lost without her.

"Where could she be uncle Jaime?" He asked in a small voice.

James sighed, he wasn't feeling much better. Brittany had been gone from Lima for months and that was eating at him. It bothered him that Brittany had made the decision to run away from Sam instead of turning him in. The fact that he hadn't even noticed that his niece was getting hurt by someone was tearing him up inside.

"I don't know Dan but we will find her. Santana hasn't stopped looking since she got here. If anyone can find Brittany it will be her." James said tiredly. He hadn't had a good night sleep since Brittany went missing.

Daniel buried his face in his hands and began to sob quietly. "I should never have left her in Atlantic City. I should have dragged her to the police instead of handling it ourselves."

James felt terrible for his nephew. He wasn't coping well with Brittany's disappearance and practically lived at the station. But even if Daniel was frantic with worry, Santana was ten times worse. She refused to go back to the hotel she was staying at. She hadn't left the station after she had claimed to have felt that Brittany was in trouble three days ago.

James walked around the desk and pulled him into a hug. He was a little surprised when Daniel embraced him tightly, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. After a while someone knocked on the door and they drew apart. Daniel looked at his uncle. "Thanks." he said simply.

James nodded and gave him a small smile. Daniel was like a son to him and if giving him a shoulder to cry on helped then he was more than happy to lend his.

James told whoever had knocked to come in and Santana stepped into his office. "James, I think I might have a lead!"

"What is it?" James urged her to go on.

"We have a witness that spotted Sam nearby McKinley High." Santana said. "The school closed off about a year ago but it's still accessible. I looked at a blueprint and there are several rooms that could be used as a hiding spot."

"The school means something to Sam because that's where he met Brittany." Daniel added. "I can't believe we didn't think of it before."

"Come on, let's go." James said as he grabbed his jacket. They raced to the car and called for backup on the way.

* * *

Brittany was beyond terrified of Sam ever since he tried to rape her three nights ago. If it hadn't been for that guard coming in, Brittany knew Sam wouldn't have stopped. Brittany had retrieved the pipe she had found on the first day and had hidden it under her pillow. She would be prepared if Sam tried again.

Brittany spent that night tossing and turning. She kept having the same dream of Santana running through a field of flowers looking happier than ever. But every time Brittany tried to get to her, the scene changed to a graveyard and blood began to pour down like rain, splashing all over Santana's horrified face. Brittany tried to reach her but some kind of invisible power kept holding her back.

Brittany bolted upright reaching for the pipe under the pillow. She had felt herself being shaken while hearing the voice she had been dreading to hear for days.

"Hi there, wifey." Sam said. "It's time to finish what we started the other night."

Sam walked closer to the bed and tried to crawl on top of her. "No!" Brittany cried out, lashing out with the pipe. Sam screamed as she hit him in the side. Brittany hit him again and again, surprised by her own strength. Sam was caught off guard and before he could register what was going on, Brittany managed to forcefully hit him on his head. He fell down like a stone. Blood poured from his wound but Brittany was too shaken up to notice.

One of the men guarding the door heard the commotion in the room and he barged in with his gun drawn. He looked from Sam to Brittany and brought up his gun to shoot her. Brittany squeezed her eyes shut. The only thought on her mind was that she couldn't die without getting to see Santana one last time.

Two gunshots rang out and Brittany screamed.

Brittany's eyes snapped open when the guard's bullet struck her upper arm. She hardly even felt the pain and watched stunned as the guard dropped dead on the floor. She looked past him and saw the most beautiful woman standing in the doorway.

"Santana!" Brittany cried happily, running to her only to be cut short by the chain securing her to the wall.

Santana hadn't even thought twice about shooting the man that had a gun pointed at Brittany. She felt her stomach churn when she saw that Brittany was chained to a wall. She took in the blonde's battered face and ripped clothes and wanted nothing more than to kill Sam right then and there.

Santana ran to Brittany and pulled her into her arms, tears running down both of their faces. Brittany clung onto Santana for dear life. "You found me."

Santana kissed the top of her head. "I found you."

"Brittany!" Daniel cried when he saw his sister. The police had secured the school. His smile turned into a frown when he noticed the chain. "What's that?"

Santana pulled away and fished the key that she had taken from the guard out of her pocket. She unlocked Brittany's handcuffs and smiled as Daniel embraced his sister.

Santana looked around and noticed Sam lying on the floor. She bent down to check his pulse. He was still alive, but barely. Santana reluctantly called for the paramedics. She would have been happy to let him die but she knew that Brittany would feel guilty if she was responsible for his death.

James who had been securing the area rushed in with a very worried Marley trailing behind him. "Thank God!" They said in unison.

They both hugged her and Brittany cried out in pain when James touched her arm. It was then that Santana noticed that Brittany's sleeve was drenched in blood. She looked at her worriedly. "Britt, what happened?"

Brittany looked at her arm and was confused for a second before she remembered. "The guard shot me. I didn't even feel it." Her face turned a ghostly pale and her knees suddenly gave out. James caught her and lowered her to the floor while calling for help.

Santana rushed to her side and felt for a pulse. She sighed in relief when she felt the faint flutter. "What's wrong with her?" Santana asked as she gently brushed the hair away from Brittany's clammy forehead.

The paramedic checked her over and then looked at Santana. "She's in shock." He said. He cleaned the gunshot wound and bandaged it. "She has a lot of bruising and probably a cracked rib but I think she will make a full recovery."

"Why did she faint?" Santana asked, still concerned.

"She's been through a lot and lost quite some blood." The paramedic explained. "She should come around soon."

The words hadn't even left his mouth yet when Brittany started to stir. "San?" She called out in a weak voice. Her wounds weren't life threatening so the paramedic stepped back to give them some room.

"I'm right here, baby." Santana said, surprising herself with the term of endearment that easily fell from her lips. She knelt down next to Brittany and gently caressed her cheek, careful to avoid the bruises. She smiled when Brittany's eyelids fluttered open, revealing bright blue orbs.

Brittany looked up at Santana with a small smile. It disappeared when she caught sight of Sam being carried out of the room. "Sam? Is he...?" She trailed off.

Santana shook her head. "He's alive but I don't know if he will make it." She said, not wanting to tell Brittany but understanding that she needed to know the truth.

Brittany simply nodded. She tried to sit up and groaned as a sharp burning pain shot through her arm. "Ow." She whimpered pitifully.

"I bandaged the wound but you're going to need stitches." The paramedic said as he checked Brittany's wound again.

Brittany grunted in pain and bit her lip in a desperate attempt not to cry. Santana instinctively reached out for her hand. "You're hurting her." She hissed at the paramedic. "Why didn't you stitch it up while she was unconscious?"

The paramedic ignored her question and packed up his things. "We should really get you to the hospital to do a more thorough examination."

Brittany gave him a small nod, too weak and confused to put up a fight. She clutched Santana's hand as she was loaded into the ambulance. Santana watched her closely the entire ride, not being able to bare another second away from her.

* * *

An hour later, Brittany was lying in a hospital bed waiting for the results of her x-rays. She was exhausted and it felt like she had been run over by a bus but she was oddly calm, considering the circumstances. That might have something to with Santana who was tracing patterns on her palm in a soothing manner.

Doctor Holliday walked into the room and gave her a warm smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." Brittany replied with a shrug. "When can I go home?"

"Soon." Dr. Holliday said. She scanned over the x-ray results in her hand. "So sweet cheeks, you have a fractured rib so you're going to be sore for a while." Her eyes flicked from Brittany to Santana and back. "You'll need rest so that means no strenuous activity for the next couple of weeks, including sex."

Brittany blushed a deep shade of red, earning a laugh from Dr. Holliday. She walked closer to Brittany's bed and became more serious. "Brittany, you've been through a lot. If you ever want to talk to someone, I'd be happy to give you some recommendations."

"Thank you." Brittany said, shooting her a grateful smile. Dr. Holliday nodded and left the room.

The two of them sat there in silence for a while as Brittany appeared to be deep in thought. Santana raised Brittany's hand to her lips and placed a soft kiss to it. "What are you thinking about?"

"Sam." Brittany mumbled. "How is he?"

Santana had been dreading this conversation. She sighed sadly. "Britt, he didn't make it."

Brittany took a moment to process her words. She finally looked at Santana with tear filled eyes. "Does it make me a bad person that I'm glad he's gone? I don't want to be scared anymore."

"Baby," Santana cooed. She stood up and placed her hands on either side of Brittany's face. "you are not a bad person for saving yourself. In fact, you're a wonderful person and I love you."

Santana leaned in and kissed her softly, pulling away when she tasted the saltiness of tears. She frowned in concern. "Hey, why are you crying?" She whispered against the blonde's lips.

Brittany sniffled. "I'm just happy. You make me feel whole again."

Santana felt her throat constrict with emotion. She stroked her thumbs over the soft skin of Brittany's cheeks, wiping her tears away. She pressed a kiss to Brittany's forehead, nose and finally her lips. She smiled softly, "I'll always be here for you."

A few minutes later, James walked into the room to take Brittany's statement. Santana gently stroked her hand up and down Brittany's arm as she told them her story. It was hard to hear all the details and Santana's jaw was clenched the entire time.

"Oh Brittany." James said quietly once she was finished. "Why did you never tell me about the abuse? I could've helped you."

"I was embarrassed." Brittany mumbled. "I thought that I wasn't trying hard enough. Sam kept telling me that I was the only one who could help him and I thought that leaving him would mean that I had failed him as a wife. I realize now that it was never up to me to save him."

James nodded. "What made you finally see that?"

Brittany looked down at her lap, smiling shyly. "Santana did. It wasn't until I met her that I finally understood what love really is. She makes me feel like I'm worth something."

"You are." Santana said, giving her hand a soft squeeze.

"So, are two officially together?" James asked curiously.

Brittany and Santana exchanged a loving glance before both saying, "Yes."

James could barely contain his grin. He placed a hand on Santana's shoulder. "Welcome to the family, Lopez." He said. "Did you tell her about your new job yet?"

Brittany looked at Santana, silently asking her to explain. Santana brushed her thumb over Brittany's knuckles. "I know how much you like living in Lima. James offered me a job as the department's chief of detectives and I took it."

"What about the FBI?" Brittany asked in surprise.

"I quit." Santana said with a shrug. Brittany smiled and opened her arms. Santana chuckled and stood up, hugging her carefully. She kissed her hair. "I love you, Britt."

"I love you too, San." Brittany whispered back.

* * *

It had been six months since Brittany was released from the hospital. She was currently on her way to the apartment she shared with Santana after working several hours at the dance studio. Some people thought that things were moving too fast between them but Brittany had never been more sure than she was about her feelings for Santana.

"San?" Brittany called out as she took off her coat. She frowned when she didn't receive a reply, Santana was supposed to be home already. She dropped her keys on the table and looked around the apartment. It was then that she noticed that the balcony door was open.

Brittany's breath caught in her throat when she stepped outside. A table had been set up in the middle of the balcony, decorated with candles and flowers. It looked absolutely beautiful. Brittany turned around and let out a surprised yelp when she was met with the sight of Santana dropped on one knee. Brittany's eyes widened. "Babe, what's going on?"

Santana took her hand. "Brittany, before I met you my whole existence revolved around my job. I didn't even realize what I was missing until you showed me. I know that we've only known each other for a few months but I love you more than anything. I need you in my life." She took a deep breath and took a black, square box out of her pocket. "Brittany Susan Pierce, will you marry me?"

A single tear rolled down Brittany's cheek. She smiled widely. "Yes! A thousand times yes!" Santana sighed in relief. She took out the ring and carefully slid it on Brittany's finger. Brittany gasped. "Oh San, it's gorgeous."

Santana got to her feet and pulled Brittany into a tight hug. Brittany buried her face against her fiancée's neck and inhaled her sweet scent. There was nowhere that she'd rather be than right there in Santana's arms. She was home.

**The End.**


End file.
